Driven
by DigiExpert
Summary: There's a slight hitch in their journey, which means Aaeru and Neviril were stuck in an earlier era of Simulacrum. However, Aaeru is determined to fix things.


**This is the first of my fics written for yuri_challenge on LJ. The current round is all about lyrics, and I was given "She wants to shine forever in time/She is so driven. She's always mine." for an Aaeru/Neviril prompt. This is the first version of the prompt. I did a second story, which got posted to because of its NC17 nature. Enjoy.**

"Yep, it's busted all right," remarked Aaeru, hands on her hips. She was looking at the Simoun she and Neviril shared, which was still emitting a grayish smoke from its underbelly.

"Can it be fixed?" asked Neviril, who stood to one side, arms crossed over her chest. She had no idea what to do in case of a Simoun breaking, and felt utterly useless in the situation.

"I guess it can be, but I'm not a mechanic." Aaeru turned and grinned at her. "You want me to try?"

"Can you tell what's wrong with it?" Neviril pursed her lips as she watched Aaeru peek underneath again.

"Like I said, I'm not a mechanic, but it looks like some of the pipes or tubing has come lose. It might be a simple repair, but it might be something more. Grandpa never taught me how to fix his Simile, so I don't know what we can do to fix this by ourselves."

"Do you think we're going to be stuck here then?" asked Neviril softly. She was unsure of the answer, but the possibility presented itself all the same.

"I don't think so. We keep jumping around since we can't control the Emerald very well, and sometimes we jump while in the Simoun and not doing anything." Aaeru looked over the cliff and pointed down below. "Besides, there's ancient Simoun down there. I bet someone can help us fix this." She looked back to Neviril and grinned.

Neviril had caught sight of the ancient Simoun herself when Aaeru had been looking at the Simoun. She had wondered the same thing as Aaeru, but she wasn't as positive that someone could fix what was broken. They appeared to be in an earlier era of Simulacrum, many decades prior to their own time. She had seen ancient Simoun take to the sky in the distance, which meant the ancient Simoun worked, but her mind would not let her off with considering only one possibility.

"Do you think they're friendly?" She had quickly learned on their journey through time and space that not everyone would welcome them with open arms, much less trust them. There had been times when they had been chased away, not always escaping unharmed. She didn't want another repeat of one of those trips. It had taken a few weeks for Aaeru's arm to heal properly the last time, and even now there was still a scar.

"I'm not sure. We can find out though."

"But Aaeru, your—"

Aaeru held up her hand to stop her. "We'll be careful, Neviril. If it looks like they don't trust us, we'll leave and find another way." She frowned when she saw the look of fear still on Neviril's face. "We have to try," she spoke softly. "If we don't try, we won't know if the Simoun can be fixed or not. I want to fly again. Don't you?"

Neviril nodded. "I do. I just worry about you. About us. And how we'll be accepted this time."

Aaeru stepped closer to her love and gazed up at her. "We have to find out. We can't always be scared of what we don't know. And we need help this time."

"I know. You're right. It's childish for me to even consider these possibilities before we know. I'm afraid that for all my studies as a Sibylla, they never prepared me for the cultural differences that we'd encounter after the Emerald."

"It's not. You're just worried, that's all." Aaeru leaned up and kissed her cheek before flashing another grin. "We'll go now and see if anyone is willing to help. If not, we'll think of something else."

"Right. Perhaps there's a reason Tempus Spatium brought us here."

Aaeru nodded. "Maybe. Let's go see what we can find out."

Over an hour later, the pair got their answer. The villagers weren't hostile toward them, although Neviril had seen the wary glanced that were thrown in their direction. Though they asked politely, with Aaeru explaining the trouble, everyone had shaken their heads. Inquiring as to how they fixed their own Simoun was also a failed route. The question was simply ignored.

"I can't believe it. They don't think we have a Simoun!" stated Aaeru as she munched on some of the wild strawberries they'd found later tat evening.

"Perhaps they really don't know how to fix a Simoun. Maybe their own haven't needed repaired yet and there just simply hasn't been a need for it."

"I don't buy that at all. You can't have a Simoun and not have it require maintenance. Why did we have Wapourif and the rest of the crew if we didn't "need" maintenance?" asked Aaeru, glaring into the fire.

"True… we will just have to see what the real problem is. I'm not sure how long we can survive in this era."

"It shouldn't be too difficult. It's similar to our own and I can fish and hunt for us. As long as the weather stays warm like this, it'll be one big campout."

Neviril nodded and finished her dinner quietly. Aaeru was determined to have the Simoun fixed by these native inhabitants. She had to admit to herself that she did agree with Aaeru. Something had seemed wrong with the villagers' replies to their questions, but she was not one to press deeper than need be. After all, they were strangers in this foreign world.

The next morning, Aaeru was back in the village, bright and early. Neviril awoke to find her gone, nothing but a pile of blankets where she would have slept. A feeling of loneliness crept over her, but disappeared as soon as the sleepy haze cleared. She dressed and made her way to the village, searching for her love.

One couldn't miss the odangos or that straw blonde hair. No one in this time period had similar blonde hair it seemed, and Aaeru stuck out like a sore thumb. Neviril watched as the girl spoke animatedly, speaking to two men who appeared to be in middle age. The two were involved in a board game of some kind, one she did not recognize, and they only half-paid attention to Aaeru as she spoke.

"… but the Emerald Ri Majon was meant to—Neviril!" Aaeru hadn't meant to mention her lover, but she grinned when she saw Neviril weaving her way through the busy market street. "I've been telling these two our story."

"I don't think they want to hear our story."

"Why not?"

"Your friend there's right, kid. Why don't you scram like a little mouse should?" scoffed one of the men as he moved one of his pieces forward.

Aaeru made a face. There was nothing more frustrating than being called a mouse. For a moment, she considered knocking the game board away, but instead she rose and walked toward Neviril, who led her away. They walked past groups of villagers who whispered to one another as soon as they were out of earshot.

"It's not right!" remarked Aaeru as she kicked the trunk of a tree. "I know someone can fix it. Something weird's going on!"

Neviril placed a hand on Aaeru's shoulder. "Calm down, Aaeru. I'm sure there's a way to fix it without using the villagers to help us."

"I know they can help us. They're holding back. Someone down there can fix it, but they don't want to help us."

"Maybe they—"

Aaeru jerked around from Neviril's grasp, turning on her. "They have Simoun, Neviril. They must know how to fix them. I've seen one fly before."

"You have? When?" Neviril had never seen any of the ancient Simoun fly here. They all seemed to be grounded, some overgrown with weeds and grasses. "We've not seen any Sibyllae here."

"This morning. Every morning, actually. Someone is flying a Simoun. They have a pair. Someone can fix them up and make them fly again. We just need to find out who." Aaeru crossed her arms and looked down toward the village.

"What if we can't find them, Aaeru?" asked Neviril softly, placing her arms around the smaller girl. She could feel Aaeru shaking and knew that she was getting frustrated. She couldn't blame her.

"I'll find them. And if not, I'll try to fix it myself. It can't be that hard."

"You miss the sky, don't you?" asked Neviril softly. Aaeru was one of those people who was born to fly. Neviril couldn't imagine what Aaeru would have chosen to do if she had had to choose a gender at the Spring. Aaeru was meant to be in the sky; it was only natural for her.

"I want to fly, Neviril. I don't want to be stuck on the ground like this. I want to see more of the other world. Instead, I'm here, on the ground. This isn't… this isn't right." Aaeru looked toward the sky, eyes searching for something unseen.

Neviril turned Aaeru around and looked down at her. "We'll fly again, Aaeru. We'll find a way, I promise." She kissed the girl's forehead and smiled.

"Right," nodded Aaeru, smiling. She looked more like her old self.

Later that night, Neviril woke to find herself alone on the blanket she shared with Aaeru. Unlike that morning, she found it odd to be alone so late at night. She sat up, searching for her love, finally spotting her near the edge of the hill. She smiled sadly, hearing the tune drifting on the wind. She listened quietly for a few minutes before rising and striding softly across the grass.

She took a seat by Aaeru, placing an arm around the girl's waist. She said nothing as Aaeru leaned against her, resting her head on Neviril's shoulder. Neviril raised her other arm, searching out Aaeru's hand and intertwining their fingers together. She looked up at the stars, wondering when she'd last noticed how bright the sky was when there weren't any artificial lights to outshine nature. She'd never seen so many stars before, she realized as she began looking closely.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered.

Aaeru closed the lid of the music box, tucking it away in her pants pocket. She sat quietly, squeezing Neviril's hand instead of replying. She couldn't speak or explain the emotions she felt inside at that moment. She couldn't find the words to tell Neviril and decided not to. She wished there was a way to speak what she felt and make sense.

Leaning over, Neviril kissed Aaeru softly on the lips. She felt Aaeru respond to her kiss, slightly chapped lips pressing against her own. "We will fly again, Aaeru. You'll be in the sky again soon." She wished there was more she could do besides make promises she wasn't sure were true in the end. She only wanted Aaeru to feel better about the challenge placed before them.

"I know…"

"Come on. Let's go back to bed. We can try again tomorrow. You'll need to rest if you want to try again." Neviril rose to her feet, tugging lightly on Aaeru's hand. Aaeru didn't budge.

Aaeru shook her head. "I want to stay here for awhile longer."

"Aaeru…" She contemplated pulling Aaeru to her feet anyway, but knew it would make no difference. Slowly, she released Aaeru's hand and trudged back to the blankets. She lay back down, feeling as though she had accomplished nothing by sitting with Aaeru. Closing her eyes, she prayed silently as she drifted back into unconsciousness.

She was woken the next morning by a rough shaking of her shoulders. At first it was as though it was another part of her dream, but then she realized someone was actually shaking her. Aaeru's name popped into her groggy head and she heard the girl speaking to her.

"Neviril! Neviril wake up! I've found the pair who flies the Simoun I've seen!"

Neviril groaned and half opened her eyes. "Really?" she asked softly.

Aaeru grunted an agreement. "Come on and get up! I want to show you!"

All of a sudden, Neviril felt herself being pulled up from the pile of blankets and she snapped awake. Aaeru had her by the arm, trying to pull her to her feet. "P-put me down!" Aaeru did as was requested of her.

"What's wrong?"

Fully awake now, Neviril replied, "It's not really a good idea to try and make someone do something so suddenly after you wake them, Aaeru."

"Oh. Okay." She blinked at Neviril, and Neviril got the feeling she didn't quite understand, which wasn't unusual. "I did find the Simoun pair. They don't live in the village at all."

"How did you find them then?" Neviril looked at her curiously. Perhaps the villagers hadn't known how to fix the Simoun after all, but perhaps they had also wanted to cover up the fact that they had a pair who flew ancient Simoun on a near daily basis.

"I was in the forest near the village and saw the Simoun so I followed it. It landed in a field nearby and I spoke to the Sibyllae who flew it."

"S-Sibyllae? You can't mean—"

"They did the Emerald too. They mentioned it. Said they were trained by Sibyllae from the future."

Could it be Limone and Dominura? Neviril wasn't sure. If the Emerald was being performed in many eras of Simulacrum, it was possible. She and Aaeru were just the most recent pair to complete it, but the limited knowledge and history on the mysterious Ri Majon made it nearly impossible to know how many other pairs had successfully completed it. "Can we go speak with them?"

"Of course. That's why I was trying to wake you up."

Neviril rose and completed her morning tasks. Aaeru waited, fidgeting as she watched Neviril take care of chores that seemed like they could wait until late. She'd found the pair who flew the Simoun; surely they could fix what was wrong with theirs. What did it matter if the blankets they slept on were folded properly or not?

Soon, Neviril was satisfied that things at the camp were in a neat and tidy order. Aaeru took her by the arm, leading her toward the village. They didn't enter the village, however. Aaeru veered to the left and took them into the forest. Neviril noticed a small worn foot trail, nearly hidden beneath the bushes and grass. They walked the path for some time, turning every now and then.

As they came to the very edge of a clearing, Neviril spotted a Simoun. It wasn't covered with overgrowth and dirt from years of unuse. No, this Simoun sparkled in the sunlight, the sagitta cockpit's hatch open. It was used, and had been used that very morning, from what Aaeru had mentioned.

A young girl a few inches taller then Neviril exited the cabin nearby. She was dressed as the peasants were, in plain natural greens and browns. Her boots appeared to be animal hide of some kind and her dark brown tresses were pulled into a ponytail. She waved when she spotted the pair.

"Aaeru, is this who you were telling me about?"

Aaeru nodded and then replied. "This is Neviril, my pair and Sibylla Aurea. We are both from Chor Tempest."

"I told you before I wasn't sure what a Chor was."

"Forgive my pair. She's often very loud," remarked another girl, emerging from the cabin to stand by the first girl. This girl was smaller and quieter. She reminded Neviril of Limone. The new girl wore a long dress that matched that of her pair. She tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled. "I am Era, and this is my pair, Janu."

"It is nice to meet you both," replied Neviril, bowing.

"Aaeru has told us that you are having trouble with your Simoun?"

"Yes, that's correct. It appears something has gone wrong with the mechanics. Neither of us has the skills to fix it. We'd like to perform the Emerald and travel once more."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here? This time is really a lovely place. We are soon to begin training more young girls to become Sibyllae."

"No, I'd rather see the other worlds. Right, Neviril?"

"Of course." Neviril knew that Aaeru wanted nothing more than to be in the sky, always traveling through the sky. Perhaps someday she'd want to stop and stay awhile in a world they came across, but for now, she was content flying through time, always searching, always finding.

"I can take a look at your Simoun. I'm pretty good with fixing them. I can't guarantee that I will be able to though. Are you okay with that?" asked Janu.

"We understand," replied Neviril.

"I'll show you where it is," added Aaeru.

"Let me go find my toolkit then," answered Janu, disappearing into the cabin.

The two pairs trekked back up the hillside to where Aaeru and Neviril's Simoun still rested. Upon seeing it, Janu was immediately full of questions, mostly about the differences between the ancient Simoun and the current Simoun from Aaeru and Neviril's time. As Janu looked over the craft, Aaeru explained what she knew, looking to Neviril from time to time to fill in the gaps she didn't quite know.

After some time, Janu looked back at them. "It seems you've got some tubing loose. The seals seem to have broken, which is diverting the power from the helical motors, and causing the craft to most likely have trouble staying in the air."

"How'd that happen?" asked Aaeru.

"Just from regular use, I'd guess. Things like this just happen."

"Can it be fixed?" asked Neviril, hoping.

"Sure. I've got something that will fix it. Then you two will be able to fly once more." Janu smiled. "It won't take very long at all."

"Can I help?" asked Aaeru. "Then I'll know how to fix it next time."

"Of course."

This left Neviril to chat with Era. The two young women exchanged stories of their own time period in Simulacrum, finding similarities between the two of them. Each was of a higher class, and each had a pair who was quite the opposite of them. They discussed the places they'd seen, and their hopes and dreams for what came after. Neviril was surprised to find the time flying by as Aaeru and Janu worked together in the hot afternoon sun to fix the Simoun.

"That should do it!" Janu's voice interrupted the conversation about Ri Majon. "Are you two ready to go? I'm sure that once you get started, you'll be ready to try the Emerald again."

Aaeru grinned and nodded. "I'm ready to go." She looked to Neviril. "Are you ready?"

Smiling, Neviril nodded in reply. "Of course. Let's try to start the Simoun, Aaeru." She rose from her spot on the ground and made her way toward her pair. Gently, she placed her arms on either side of Aaeru's waist, and looked down at the confident blonde. She lowered her head, as if to kiss her, and whispered, "I love you, Aaeru," in a voice so soft that the words only reached Aaeru's ears alone. This caught Aaeru off-guard, and Neviril kissed her slightly open mouth, smiling to herself.

Even though it was a kiss meant only to activate the Simoun, she lingered just a bit longer before pulling away. Without another word, she turned and climbed the short ladder to the sagitta cockpit, as Aaeru climbed into the auriga cockpit. The two of them bent over and kissed the Simoun gem. Aaeru grinned as it began to hum and light up.

Neviril performed her part of the pre-flight systems check. "Aaeru, how does everything look from the auriga side?"

"Well, there's no smoke this time. As soon as we lift off, I should be able to notice a difference from the last time."

Neviril looked to the pair who had assisted them. "Thank you both for everything. I'm grateful that you could fix our Simoun."

"Don't thank me until you see that it works first," called Janu goodnaturedly. Her pair nudged her in the side.

"Good luck on your journey, Aaeru and Neviril," called Era.

"Thanks!" replied Aaeru. She waved and then reached for her controls. Her body soon took over, acting on the movements she'd easily memorized ever since she had first flown a Simile.

The Simoun lifted into the air, shakily at first, but then, as the helical motors unfolded, things began to run smoothly. They shot forward, and Aaeru began to laugh. Neviril smiled. She was such a child sometimes, so easily excited. However, she couldn't blame her love, for she felt the same way too.

"Shall we do the Emerald, Neviril?"

"Yes, let's." And just like that, Neviril took over, guiding them to create the lines of light as their souls became one. Lines curved and intertwined, shimmering in the sun. The last line connected and light burst forth from all around them. Just before they were swallowed into the warmth, Neviril thought _She's always going to charge forward like this…she's always mine, the one I love without question…_Her consciousness faded and the whiteness took over, but she had never felt more calm or at ease. It didn't matter to her, as long as Aaeru was by her side.


End file.
